Former Richmond bank examiner accused of profiting over $750,000 by insider trading

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- A former bank examiner for a Richmond federal bank is accused of using confidential information to engage in insider trading, through which he allegedly made over $750,000 in profit. On Friday, Nov. 8, criminal information was filed in the Virginia Eastern District Court accusing Robert Brian Thompson, of Chesterfield County, of insider trading and making false statements during his time as a bank examiner. Thompson was a bank examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (FRBR) -- one of the multiple banks associated with the Federal Reserve System -- at the time of his alleged crimes. The FRBR, among its several responsibilities, supervises and examines banks that are members of the Federal Reserve and bank holding companies. As of 2018, Thompson was a Senior Manager and served as the point of contact for a North Carolina-based bank called "Bank 1" in court documents. This reportedly gave him access to confidential information relating to Bank 1. Did Donald Trump’s win and Winsome Sears’ popularity lead to AG Miyares forgoing a run for governor? Additionally, as a Senior Manager with tenure at the FRBR, Thompson reportedly had access to confidential information pertaining to multiple other banks, whether they were directly under his scope of responsibilities or not. According to court documents, from October 2020 to about February of this year, Thompson is accused of using the confidential information his roles gave him access to to engage in insider trading for his own benefit. This included the purchase and sale of stocks issued by both Bank 1 and another bank, called "Bank 2" in court documents and based in New York. Court documents allege that Thompson executed nearly 70 stock trades through this scheme, which earned him approximately $771,678 in profit. The FDBR requires its employees to annually disclose if they have any assets -- such as interest in Federal Reserve member banks or assets with publicly traded financial institutions -- by submitting a "Form D." Additionally, they are required to submit an update "promptly" after they have any asset changes throughout the year. "When completing the Form D, FRBR employees must certify that the information they have provided is “true, complete and correct to the best of [the employee’s] knowledge," court documents state, adding that it is noted in the Form D that failure to do so is a crime. Virginia ranked 2nd best state for hospital patient safety, according to transparency nonprofit Thompson is accused of repeatedly lying to the FRBR about his assets between 2020 and this year, instead falsely representing "both that he had no assets, including no equities in any publically traded financial institutions, and that he had not engaged in any activity that would constitute conflicts of interest, violations of FRBR policies or violations of law." Court documents allege that Thompson made false statements in his Form Ds on Aug. 9, 2023, and on March 14 relating to this accused insider trading. In the August 2023 form, he reportedly indicated that he "had no assets to report." In the March form, he again did not disclose any asset changes. Thompson is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Nov. 19.